Fluid-flow-measuring device



March 18 1924. 1,487,402

E. ROUCKA FLUID FLOW MEASURING DEVICE Filed Sept. 30. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O W INQTOR 62W Arrormni Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES ERICK ROUCKA, OI BLANSKO, CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

FLUID-FLOW-HEASURING DEVICE.

Application filed September 80, 1922. Serial No. 591,800.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERICH ROUCKA, a citizen of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, and a resident of Blansko, Czechoslovakia, have invented new and useful .Improvements in Fluid-Flow-Measuring Devices, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates in general to fluid flow measuring devices of the balanced type.

Such a device comprises means sensitive to u a fluid condition, such as pressure, pressure difference, etc., caused by the flow of fluid, means cooperating with said sensitive means to maintain, balance in the device, and governor mechanism for said second-mentioned means.

The primary object of the invention is'to rovide in such a device means for increasing the sensitivit or accuracy thereof by reducin friction etween relatively movable slidab y cooperating parts.

A further object of the invention is to rovide in such a device means for producing slight relative movements or vibrations of the said relatively movable slidably cooperating parts independently of their controlling movements to reduce friction therebetween.

The invention contemplates the producing of vibrations or slight relative movements in the sensitive means, the stuffing boxes, the governor, or in all slidably engaging parts, and said movements or vibrations may be produced mechanically, by fluid, electrical or other suitable means. Where liquid, such as mercur is used as the sensitive means, it may also e vibrated.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional illustration of a fluid flow measuring device embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a similar illustration of another fluid flow measuring system. embodyingra modified form of my invention, and

igure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the balancing mechanism shown in Figure 2'.

In Figure 1 of the drawings is illustrated a device for measuring the flow of fluid including a lever 32 mounted intermediate its ends at 50 on a flexible strip 52 and which has one end thereof connected at 30 b a flexible strip 28 to one end of the diapliragm rod 22 of a diaphragm 18 mounted m a diaphragm chamber 16. The diaphragm rod and the corres onding end of the lever 32 are connected y a spring 24 and an adjusting screw to a fixed support so that the diaphragm is balanced by said springe Pipes 14 connect the diaphragm cham r 16 at opposite sides of the diaphragm 18 to opposite sides of a flow resistin device 6 mounted in a conduit 2 rovi ed with an orifice 4 through which ows a fluid. The flow resisting device 6 is mounted on a rod 8 to which is also connected a piston 10 mounted in a cylinder 12 of a fluid motor for actuating the flow resisting device 6. Actuation of the said fluid motor is controlled through a governor valve comprising a valve piston 44 mounted in a cylinder 46, by actuation of the diaphragm 18 by differences in fpressure in the conduit 2 at opposite sides 0 the orifice 4. The valve piston 44 is connected by a member 42 to the end 40 of the lever 32 opposite the diaphra in rod 22. Upon differences in ressure in the'conduit 2 at opposite sides 0 the flow resisting device, the diaphragm 18 is actuated in one direction and oscillates the lever 32 so as to move the valve 44 in one direction and permit flow of fluid through pipes 48 to one side of the piston 10 and from the other side thereof. The flow resisting device 6 is thus moved by the piston 10.

A- yielding return device is provided to prevent overthrowing in the system, said device comprising a bell crank lever 90 pivotally connected to a fixed support88, one arm of said lever having a pin and slot, connection 92 with the rod 8 and the other arm being connected to a iston 78 mounted in a cylinder 74 connecte at its inner end by a passage to a similar cylinder 72 In which 15 mounted a iston 76 connected to the rod 22 carried by t e diaphragm 18. The cylinders 74 and 72 are carried by a casing 70 and contain a li uid in which the pistons 76 and 78 are mova le. When the iston 10 moves in one direction the iston 8 is actuated and through the liqui in the casing 70 tends to return the piston 76 and in turn the diaphragm 18 to its neutral position. A valve 80 is provided for controllin the flow of liquid through aby-pass 82 t om the passage between the cylinders 74 and 72 and thus varying the amount of'influence of the piston 78 on the piston 76 l The piston rod 8 carries a lpointer 98 and pen 94-wh1'ch cooperate wit the respective scale and record strip 99 and 96 to indicate and record the flow of fluid through the conduit 2.

To produce slight relative movements or vibrations in the slidably engaging parts of the device, a rotor 56 of a fluid turbine having buckets or vanes on its periphery may be mounted on a shaft journaled in bearings 54 in one end of a flexible or resilient bar 60, the other end of which is to a fixed support 62. A casing M sti-rounds the rotor 56, and the free end of the bar is connected to the comparatively more flexible or resilient strip 52 which is connected at 50 to the lever 32 intermediate its ends. The rotor 56 carries an eccentrically ositioned weight 58, and is driven by a liquid directed against the vanes by means of a nozzle 66.

In the operation of the device, when the rotor is revolved by impact of the liquid from the nozzle 66 against the vanes, the eccentric weight 58 causes the rotor an casing to flex the bar 60 and strip 52 so that the rotor, casing 64 and nozzle 66 v1brate in the directions indicated by the arrows. The bar 60 reduces vibration of the device in all other directions.

produced by the constant swingin of the weight 58 from one side of the she. to the other so as to maintain the rotor in an unbalanced condition. y

The vibrations produced by the rotor 56 are transmitted through the strip 52 and lever 32 to the diaphragm rod 22. The v1- brations are then transmitted from the piston 76 through the "fluid in the casing and the piston 78 to the rod 8. The friction between the rod 22 and the diaphragm chamber 16, between the rod 8 and piston 10 and cylinder 12, and between th'e valve piston 44 and cylinder 46 1s reduced so that all of the movable parts are extremely sensitive and quickly respond to actuation durin For causin a definite relation between the vibration o the diaphragm rod 22 and the member 42 connecting the lever 32 and valve piston 44, the end of the lever 32 connected to said valve piston is provid with an adjustable wei ht 36.

Figure 2 llfilStlflt-BS another fluid flow measuring device in which the fluid to measured flows through a condu1t in which is arranged a fluid flow resisting device 102. The said conduit 100 is 'co1inect ed at o posite sides of the flow resisting device 102 y pipes 104 to a diaphragm casing at opposite sides of a diaphragm 106. -W1th this construction the dia hragm 106is sensitive to or actuated by ifl'erences in pressure of the fluid in the conduit 100 caused by the flow of the fluid through the flow resisting device 102. a

The action of the ,fluid ressure on the diaphragm 106 isbalanced y the force of This vibration is the controlling movements.

a resilient strip 118 one end of which is connected at 116 by a resilient member 114 to a rod 112 connected to the diaphragm 106. The other end of said resilient strip 118 is provided with a trunnion carrying ortion 120 having trunnions 122 mounted in suitable fixed bearings 124, and said portion .120 of the resilient strip is provlded with an arm 126 arranged parallel to the strip and connected at its free end by a link 130 to the piston rod 128 of a fluid motor controlled by a governor mechanism actuated by the diaphragm 106.

The diaphragm rod 112 is connected to a piston valve 138 mounted in a cylinder 140 of a governor valve which controls the flow of fluid through pipes 136 to and from said fluid motor which comprises a piston 132 mounted in a cylinder 134. Upon diflerences in ressure in the conduit 100 at opposite si es of the flow resisting device 102, the diaphragm 106 is actuated in one direction or the other and in turn moves the valve piston 138 to admit fluid from a supply pipe to one side of the piston 132 of the fluid motor and from the other side thereof. The said piston 132 is thus moved in one direction and tends to swing the resilient strip 118 about its pivot 122 against the resistance of the diaphragm 106. The tension of said strip 118 is thus varied and balances the pressure actuating the diaphragm 106. The piston rod 128 may be provided with a ointer 166 cooperating with a scale 168 to 152 including the coil 154 which is connected by wires 156 to a source of alternating or interrupted electric current. Thesaid electro-magnet cooperates with an armature plate 158 secured to the dia hragm 148 beneath the cylinder 146,

an with this construction the armature 158 is rapidly alternately attracted and 'repulsedby the' electro-magnet so as to vi rate' the diaphragm 148 and the cylinder 146.- These vibrations are transmitted by the liquid in saild cylinder 146 and the piston 144 to the va vs the r 112 so as to reduce friction between said parts and their slidably cooperating parts, the cylinder 140 and diaphragm casmg. 110, respectively. Said vi rations are also transmitted through the diaphragm 148 a liquid, such asoil or glycerine,

iston 138 of the governor valve and it will be understood that this is onl to the support 150 and rod 162 and thence to the piston 132, whereby the said rod 162, the piston 132, and the rod 128 are vibrated. These vibrations reduce friction between the said parts and render the same extremely sensitive and quickly responsive to the controlling movements.

It will be observed that the liquid in the cylinders 72, 74 and 146 form a part of the respective vibration transmitting means, and that while the liquid may be vibrated or displaced by vibration of the respective pistons 76 and 78 and cylinder 146, they are not inherently elastic or resilient in the direction of movement of the vibrated parts but rather are rigid or unyielding. Therefore, the said liquid prevents or reduces any back-lash or rebounding of the vibrated parts, but at the same time is susceptible of transmitting vibrations through the capability of displacement of the liquid in directions other than those of the vibrations.

It will be noted that the support 150 and cylinder 146 move with the piston 132 in a irection opposite to the movement of the diaphragm 106, so that the liquid in the said cylinder 146 tends to restrain movement of the diaphragm andthe governor valve piston 138 to prevent overthrowing or hunting of the governor valve.

While I have shown a plurality of devices for producing and transmitting vibrations for the purpose of illustrating the princip es of the invention, and that many modifications and changes can be made in the details of construction of the device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be understood as restricting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described theinvention, what I claim is:

1. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a fluid flow resisting means, means sensitive to a fluid condition caused by the flow of fluid through said flow resisting means, mean to cooperate with said sensitive means to maintain balance in the device, governor mechanism for said second-mentioned means and actuated by said first-mentioned means, and means for producing slight relative motion of the relatively movable slidably cooperating parts of the device independently of the controlling movements to reduce friction therebetween. i

2. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a fluid flow resisting means, means sensitive to a fluid condition caused by flow of fluid through said flow resisting means, a pilot motor, motor and movable according to the magni= tude of the flow of fluid, a governor actuated by said first-mentioned means for conmeans actuated by said pilot.

trolling said motor, and means for producing slight relative motion of the relatively movable slidably cooperating parts of the device to reduce the friction therebetween.

3. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a fluid flow resisting means, means movable according to the mao'nitgide f th flow of fluid through said flow resisting means, a pilot motor for actuating said secondmentioned means, a governor for controlling said motor, means sensitive to fluid conditions caused by the flow of fluid through said flow resisting means for actuating said governor, and means for producing slightrelative motion of the relatively movable slidably cooperating parts in the device to reduce the friction therebetween.

4. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a variable fluid flow resistance means, means movable according to the magnitude of the flow of fluid through said variable flow resistance means, a pilot motor for actuating said first-mentioned and secondmentioned means, a governor for controlling said motor, means sensitive to a fluid condition caused by the flow of fluid through said flow resisting mean for actuating said governor, and means for producing sli ht relative motion of the relatively mova le slidably coperating parts in the device to reduce the friction therebetween.

5. A fluid flow measuring device, c0mprising a variable fluid flow resistance means, mean movable according to the magnitude of the flow of fluid through said va riable flow resistance means, a pilot motor for actuating said first-mentioned and second mentioned means, a governor for controlling said motor, means sensitive to a fluid condition caused by the flow of fluid through said flow resisting means for actuating said governor, and means for vibrating the relatively movable slidably cooperating parts in the device to reduce the friction therebetween.

'6. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a. variable fluid flow resistance means, means movable accordin to the magnitude of the flow of fluid tirough said variable fiow resistance means, a pilot motor for actuating said first-mentioned and second-mentioned means, a governor for controlling said motor, means sensitive to a fluid condition caused by the flow of fluid through said flow resisting means for actuating said governor, and means for producing slight relative motion by means of fluid energy of the relatively movable slidably cooperating parts in the device to reduce the friction therebetween.

7. A fluid flow measuring device, comprising a fluid flow resisting means, means sensitlve to a fluid condition caused by flow of fluid through said flow resisting means, a pilot motor, means actuated by said pilot motor and movable according to the magnitude therebetween, said vibration transmitting of the flow of fluid, a governor actuated by means being substantially non-resilient in said second-mentioned means for controlling the directions 'of said vibrations and dis- 10 said motor, means for producing vibrations, laceable in other directions to eliminate 5 and means for transmittin said vibrations ack-lash of the vibrated parts.

to the relatively movable s idably cooperating parts of the device to reduce friction E. ROUCKA.

. Certificate of Correction. I

It is hereby oerti fiedrthat in Letters Patent No. 1,487,402, nted March 18, 1924, upon the appliclfiomof Erich Roucka, of Blop'sko, .Czec oslovakie, for an imrovement in Fluid-Flow-Meesuring Devices," ri'ors' appear in the firinted specication requiring correction as follows: Page 1, lift/er line 48, insert 1:

In illuetratmg the principles of the invention, I have shown and desrm'bed fluid flow meow ring devices and vibration producing means both embodying certain .novel detafla ofi construction, but these details of construction are not herein specifically claimed for t'be reason that they are dedcribed and claimed in my copendi/ng application: Serial No. $90,787, filed October 30, 1920, Serial Nos. 675, 765 and 576,760, both filed July, 1998.,-

, page 3, line 51, cl'eim 1,' for the compound word second-mentioned read thirdsame page and claim, line 52, and line 65, claim 2, for the com and word first-mentioned read second-mentioned and that the said Letters etent should be read with these corrections 'therein that the some may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofice.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of May, A. D. 19%.

[amen] KARL FENNING,

"Acting Uomrm'eeioner of Patents.

e paragraph 

